


(Not) Just Friends

by Takenatmidnight



Series: Monster High Minis [5]
Category: Monster High
Genre: F/F, Fluff, i don't know the ship name lmao, twyleen?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2020-10-19
Packaged: 2021-03-09 03:54:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27098428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Takenatmidnight/pseuds/Takenatmidnight
Summary: Howleen doesn't want to ruin her friendship with Twyla. But she doesn't want to be just friends, either. Will she get what she wants? You already know she will this is a 1k fluff fic what are you expecting
Relationships: Twyla/Howleen Wolf
Series: Monster High Minis [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1977895
Kudos: 20





	(Not) Just Friends

“Well, who’d you pick?”  
Twyla laid out three cards on the beige carpet. Well, notecards. Written in blue sharpie was a name across each one - Deuce, Abbey, Gilda.  
“Huh.”  
Howleen looked thoughtfully at the names Twyla had put down. She thought about it for a moment, then asked, “Why Gilda and Abbey?”  
“I mean,” Twyla began,”Have you seen how fast Gilda can run? Also, Abbey is pretty good with the ice thing.”  
“Okay, okay, I can get that. What surprised me is that we have a card in common.”  
Twyla nodded. A minute earlier, Howleen had set out Deuce’s name among her picks. Her two others were her sister, Clawdeen - which Twyla gave her a smirking glance at - and Robecca. The names would seem meaningless, but in the game they were playing they meant a lot. Howleen called it “Who’s Most Likely to Survive a Normie Apocalypse.” It was pretty easy to learn.  
“You just picked Deuce ‘cause I picked Deuce,” Howleen accused.  
“We wrote our cards at the same time. I had no way of knowing.”  
Twyla leaned back against Howleen’s bed, which she sat at the foot of, in a mash between acceptable outside clothes and pajamas. Howleen had stuck to just wearing pajamas. Clawdeen was out with her ghoulfriends, so she took the opportunity to invite over her best ghoulfriend.  
Howleen dug her hand into the bowl of popcorn resting between the two. She was nervous. Very nervous. She thought Twyla could probably tell by the way she glanced up at her. Twyla knew how to read Howleen like an open book - she was her closest friend at Monster high, after all. Howleen just hoped she didn’t know why she was nervous.  
“Want to do another round, with a twist?” She asked.  
“What’s the twist?”  
She hadn’t thought of one. When she stalled, Twyla raised an eyebrow.  
“How about… least likely to survive a normie apocalypse?”  
Howleen frowned lopsidedly. “That just seems kinda mean.”  
“You just don’t want to put Draculaura on your list since she’s your sister’s friend.”  
“Hey!”  
Twyla giggled softly. Howleen pulled the pillow she had been sitting on out from under herself and threw it at her. Twyla caught it with her face, laughing harder into the pillow.  
“You’re just mad because I’m right,” She chuckled, setting the pillow in her lap.  
Howleen made a face at her. Leaning forward, she tried to snatch it away from her, but Twyla quickly held the pillow up above her head out of reach. Howleen wobbled, nearly falling into Twyla’s lap, but catching herself in time. Twyla giggled again. Howleen looked up and Twyla looked down at the same time. Howleen realized that they were close. She quickly pushed herself up, sitting back. Twyla paid no attention, throwing the pillow back at her. Howleen caught it. She could feel herself blushing slightly.  
Hang-out days with the two were never awkward. That was something Howleen thought she could count on. But she knew she was the one making it awkward this time. She couldn’t help it; she changed when she had something on her mind. Right now, she had a lot of things on her mind. But at the forefront was a question. She knew she had to ask it, since this was her best chance, but she didn’t know if she could.  
For a long while, she didn’t. Just one more board game, or movie, she told herself. By the time they were about an hour into Netflix viewing, she knew she couldn’t wait any longer. She had been sitting with her hands on her thighs watching the clock for the last fifteen minutes, barely watching the movie. Twyla’s dad would probably show up soon. She already felt herself getting more and more anxious about it. She paused the movie.  
“Um.. Twyla?” Howleen piped up faintly.  
Twyla looked up, waiting for her to continue.  
“I-I, uh.. I invited you over to ask you something.”  
“Oh. What is it?”  
“I..,” Howleen could only look down at the carpet. Subconsciously, her hands clenched the fabric of her clothes harder, claws digging into the soft material. She didn’t know if she could bring herself to say it. Twyla was waiting. Howleen was panicking.  
“Nevermind.”  
“Oh..” Twyla looked up at her with a quirked eyebrow. “Are you sure?”  
“Yeah.”  
Twyla gave Howleen one more thoughtful glance. Howleen felt her eyes starting to sting. She didn’t know why she was close to tears. This is what she wanted, she told herself. To just stay friends. To be able to laugh together and be best friends act like nothing was ever different. But if it was what she really wanted, why did she feel a horrible sinking feeling in her gut? Why did she have to try her hardest to fight back tears? Why did she hope so dearly that Twyla could do what she always did and finish Howleen’s sentence before she even began it?  
“Howleen.”  
She looked up. Twyla’s brow was knotted with concern. “What did you want to ask?”  
“It’s nothing, really,” Howleen answered, not able to bring herself to look her friend in the eyes. She felt the tears starting to well up.  
“Howleen. It’s not nothing. What do you want to ask me?”  
Twyla finally put a hand on her shoulder, and Howleen finally looked up at her with glazed eyes.  
“I wanted to ask if you wanted to go to the Halloween Dance with me.”  
It was mumbled, barely an audible whisper, but Twyla heard it. She was used to whispers. Her concern still painted her face, but she managed to smile sadly.  
“Howleen…” She began, “Of course. We’re best friends, of course we can go together.”  
That’s what broke the dams. Howleen felt the tears finally roll down her cheeks, and half-succeeded at suppressing a sob. Twyla recoiled in surprise, then put her hand back down on Howleen’s shoulder, pressing harder. She didn’t know why her friend was crying. She didn’t know what to say to her.  
“...Howleen? Are you okay?”  
Howleen could barely answer. She wasn’t trying not to cry at this point; that was long gone. She just let the tears pour and hoped she could find a spot in between sobs to answer.  
“I’m fine,” She choked out, wiping her eyes. She didn’t have sleeves, but her forearm fur was good enough. Twyla didn’t seem convinced.  
“I don’t know what I said..”  
“It’s not you!” Howleen interjected quickly. She didn’t want Twyla thinking any of this was because of her, even if all of it was. “I’m sorry. It’s - *hic* it’s nothing.”  
Twyla got a more stern look on her face. “You said that before, Howleen. I know it’s not true. I don’t know if you don't want to go to the dance, or-”  
“No! No.” Howleen sniffed. “It’s not that.”  
Twyla frowned. “Then what is it?”  
Howleen had calmed down, but she felt herself getting upset again. Just say it, she yelled at herself, You already embarrassed yourself. Just tell her.  
“I don’t.. I don’t want to go to the dance as best friends.” She said it even quieter than the first time, hoping desperately Twyla wouldn’t hear it. But she knew she did.  
For a moment she thought about it. Then it hit her.  
Howleen watched in silent agony as Twyla raised her eyebrows, then took her hand away, then looked down. She desperately wished she knew what she was thinking.  
“Oh.” Was all she said for what felt like an eternity.  
Howleen started crying again. She couldn’t help it. She hated crying in front of people, but with Twyla it didn’t feel like people. It felt like Twyla. Twyla, who was putting her hand back on her shoulder, trying to talk to her no matter how hard she cried, no matter how stupid she felt.  
“Howleen. Please don’t cry.”  
She didn’t listen. She couldn’t just stop.  
“You don’t want to be friends.”  
“That’s not what I said,” Howleen choked out quickly. “It’s just- I don’t- The dance-” the words felt stuck in her mouth, like her lips didn’t want her to say them.  
“You don’t want to go to the dance as friends.”  
Howleen nodded. She thought she saw Twyla’s eyes get wider, but she couldn’t tell through the blur of tears.  
“That means..”  
“Don’t say it,” Howleen begged, “Please.” She didn’t want to hear her say what she knew she was thinking. It might be too much.  
Howleen was still head hung, looking down at the floor. She could feel Twyla’s eyes on her. She could feel her eyes stinging, even if the tears were starting to dry. She didn’t feel great.  
“..Howleen? Can I ask you something?”  
Howleen nodded silently.  
“Can I kiss you?’  
Her head jerked up. Her heart did, too. Her emotions. Did she just ask that question? was all Howleen could say to herself, since for a long moment, she couldn’t answer. She didn’t know how. Somehow, sometime, a voice in her head screamed, say yes, idiot, this is what you want, this is who you want.  
“Yeah.”  
Twyla asked if she could kiss her. Howleen said yes. She didn’t know why she was surprised when she put a steady hand on her shoulder. She didn’t know why she was surprised at Twyla’s face getting closer, closer, lips getting closer (that was what she was focusing on). She didn’t know why she was surprised when she did.  
Howleen lost all thought for a moment. Her heart took over, thumping a rhythm as their lips touched gingerly. Twyla’s were cold. Howleen didn’t know what she expected. But they were smooth, and for a second Howleen forgot that she was 15 and she had homework and school and an older sister and responsibilities because Twyla’s lips were smooth.  
It was awkward, of course - they didn’t quite fit together perfectly, and their teeth bumped together a couple times, but that wasn’t what mattered. What mattered was that they were close. And touching. And Howleen could feel Twyla’s breath on her cheek. Eventually that made her realize that she also needed to breathe, and the two girls pulled away.  
Howleen kept her eyes closed for a second. She was afraid that if she opened them, her alarm clock would say “gotcha!” in it’s shrill, familiar tones. But she did open them, and Twyla was there. And she was smiling.  
Howleen giggled sadly. Twyla looked at her.  
“What are you laughing at?” She asked.  
“I guess I was crying for nothing.”  
Twyla giggled too. They ended up eye to eye, not saying much. Saying a lot if breathing counted as speech. Howleen was just glad they both ended up smiling. Not glad - she was grateful. Grateful that when Twyla put her cold hand on top of hers, that she finally felt like it wasn’t her and a best friend she had to pretend she didn’t have feelings for. It was her and Twyla. Friends and more.

**Author's Note:**

> Yeahhh I finally figured out how to make a series baby!!! Organization for the win!
> 
> To be completely honest I'm not that into this ship but I appreciate the dynamic. "Same taste in boys"? yeah nice try you're just gay
> 
> Also, will I ever stop putting witty parentheses in my titles? No eheheheheh


End file.
